News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1887-08-18
BLANKET FISH.
a MONSTER WHICH INVESTS
CALIFORNIA; COASTS.
A Great Fish That TOws Vessels
The Experience of Pacihc
Pearl Diver--ShOcking
Unwary CeIestials.

'Do you see that short, thick-set man
sitting on the boat" asked lounger at
San Pedro, Cal. to a New York Com
mercidL AdoertiSer correspondent. wen,
he's an cx-pearl diver, ex-smuggler, eX-
everything, and can tell some strange
stories of this part of the word.
A little later | was intrOd Iccd TO the
diver, who was half breed Mexican. lie
laughed when his experiences were re-
ferred to, and replied: "They were
nothing. have left the business, and
have done with it for good or bad. It's a
dogs life, this diving and | would not
- back to it for anything you could offer
Why2 Well, am tired of it, and L was
covered with blanket fish on my last
trip down, and the second time means
death. Am l sure?" and the half-brecd
smiled. "Well, / never knew it to fail.
There were Ramolcs, Nara, Nalona, all
from my family, killed by the b.anket-
fish, and every one had his warning. ii
is not necessary to believe it. do,how.
ever. 1t is not thing that man would
be likely to forget"
81 have seen good many Of them In
my time, but was never cornered except
once, and that was year ago. Twas one
of the party that went to the pearl
grounds in the Centipede, the boat that
was never heard from after her next
cruise 1t came my turn to 60 down aad
over | went; but as soon as / got down |
felt tat something was wrong, th.t
something was going to happen as sooI
as struck the bottom. l landed among
fine lot of pearl shells, and had began
to fill my basket, when all ut once noticed
darkening about me and looked up.
saw what appeared to be a blanket slowly
settling down over me. | knew | had
chance, so crowded down close to the
bottom, hoping the fish wouldn't see me,
and by lack it didn't. Just as 1t was ten
or twelve feet of something alarmed it.
and it dartcd away. / WIS haul 'd up
more dead than alive. Ijudgld that the
fish was at least thirty fee. across, and if
it had settled on me nothing could have
saved me-"
The divers" said an American later
on, "have an idea that these fish settle
down on you, as they have very broad
surface and peculiar undulating motion
in the water, using the side nns like
wings. They are almost as powerful as
large whale, and one twenty five feet
across could undoubtedly move off with
q large ship. In almost every locality
where they are found stories are told OF
their carrying off YES jel1. Several in
stances of this have happened in tie
Gulf of Mexico, where devil fish, as they
are called there, have run off with
smacks and small fishing vessels during
the night. In one instance a skipper
turned in at night in a harbor and
awoke in he morning to find himself out
of sight of land, big devil fish had run
foll OF the anchor and gone ont of the
,haa-el so silently that none of the crew
noticed it"
Tampa bay, florida, isa famous place
for thee monsters of the deep, and often
schools of Il dozen or more are seen
swimming about in circles. These rays
are among the largest fishes known. Two
immense fins extend out from each side,
while from the tail projects a long lash
ike whip, capable of doing severe exc
cution. The writer was once polling Il
boat over the Florida reefs in the vicinity
of Kew West, when cOmrade, who had
been sitting astride the cut-water dang
ling his feet in the water, threw himself
back into the boat with a yell of pain,
while a huge black ray darting of over
the white sand told the story. Both of
I his feet were cut almost to the bone. The
weapon that produced the injury was
tleli ate whip-like lash, smaller than a
mans lit lie finger
On still nights in sub tropical regions,
the Tays are often chased by sharks, and
leap from the water in their attempts to
IS ape, IN ling with a tremendous crash.
The man-cIting sharks. with their thick
skins, are safe from their attacks, and
often bite out great pieces from the side
fms of the monsters.
At San Pedro and the various watering
places from San Diego north, the ray fam
iiymakeS itself disa2reeably conspicuous.
The smaller ones have a habit of hiding
in the sand, and presenting their spines
for bathers' feet, while Others are pro-
,ided with electric batteries, which not
rarely give the fishermen powerful
shocks. have known man to be dis
ablcd for several days for happening
one.
The hinese monopoliZe the fishing in
these waters, and are often victims of the
rra tcal ioics of the Mexican and Amer
lean fishermen. An able bodied torpedo
will be brought ashore at San Pedro or
Monterey and the whites will wager n
green Chinaman that he cannot lift it.
The fish appears to weigh about six or
eight pounds, and John, after putting
up his money with laugh at the sim
piicity of the American devils takes
hold with both hands and is stitfcned ont
so quickly that often he can do nothing
but hold the fish and roar with anguish
until he is released. The shock given 10y
these fishes has been compared to that of
a single Leyden jar, and ca be plainly
felt by fifty persons in circle.